Journey to Seduction

She knows how much I despise this cocky, egotistical, self-centered man.

They watched reruns of The Cosby Show in silence except for a few laughs here and there. The nurse came in briefly to check on her and to inform them that the doctor would be in momentarily with the test results. She felt much better than when she arrived. Considering the IV bag was almost empty, perhaps there was no need for another one. Besides, the fact that Bryce was behind her sent uncomfortable prickles along her skin, especially since his woodsy, spicy scent was now embedded on her thanks to his unruly kiss.

A light knock on the door was a sound of relief. She couldn’t stand another minute alone with Bryce. She sat up, and he came over to assist in propping up the pillows behind her back.

“Come in.”

An older Caucasian man wearing a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck entered with a small laptop. She glanced at his name sewn onto the lapel and was relieved to see Doctor in front of Smith. Then fear set in and her leg began to tremble as she anxiously waited to hear what Dr. Smith had to say about her test results. What if something was actually wrong with her other than exhaustion and dehydration? She glanced at Bryce, who was still standing by the side of the bed, and instinctively reached out to squeeze his hand. He looked down, gently squeezed her hand back and gave her a comforting smile. But it wasn’t one of his cocky, arrogant, wicked smiles that he usually bestowed on her. It was honest and sincere.

“It’s going to be alright, Syd,” he reassured her, nodding his head before placing his attention back on the doctor.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Chase. I’m Dr. Smith.”

Bryce reached out to shake his hand, and she followed his action. When Bryce grabbed her hand once more, interlocking his fingers with hers, she was surprised. She couldn’t believe he was really keeping up this charade of being her husband.

“Well, Sydney, looks like you’ve been a very busy woman lately working around the clock,” Dr. Smith began, scrolling through his laptop screen. “According to your medical history, this isn’t the first time you’ve had this issue. Your primary care physician’s office sent over your information.”

“Yes...I just need some rest.”

“I agree, and you need to eat. Your blood sugar is low but everything else is fine. Luckily no concussion when you passed out and your CT scan was negative. However, Mr. Chase, I would closely watch over her during the next twelve hours just to make sure she’s fine. Symptoms to watch out for would be headache, vomiting, slurred speech, trouble remembering things, weakness and maybe a seizure, but I don’t see any of that happening. If it does, bring her back here. Just make sure she rests and eats something.”

“I’ll make sure she does.”

The doctor typed something on his laptop and glanced up at Bryce with a smile. “It’s Valentine’s Day, so make her a nice dinner. Spoil her tonight.”

“I was just thinking the same thing, Doc. I’ll definitely take care of my baby.”

Sydney thought surely she’d vomit followed by a seizure just from hearing the conversation between the men in front of her.

“So, I’m free to go, Doc?”

“Yep. In about thirty minutes.”

Sydney breathed out a sigh of relief. Now she could get away from Bryce. “Oh. By the way. What kind of medication was in the IV bag?”

“No medication,” Dr. Smith answered, glancing up from his laptop. “Just nutrients to replenish your system.”

“Sooooooooo no real medication or anything?”

“Nope.”

“Oh.” Syd nodded, slowly removing her hand from Bryce’s as her palm began to sweat. The doctor and Bryce continued to speak about the checking-out process, but they sounded like the adults on the Charlie Brown cartoons. She was speechless. She’d thought surely she was on some type of drug when Bryce had kissed her and she’d willingly responded—and rather enjoyed it. Why else would she even let him kiss her for so long? Sure, the man apparently knew how to kiss. His tongue had done things with hers that should’ve been outlawed in the state of Georgia. Heck, every state and country, even. And that was just in one place. She had other regions on her body that wouldn’t have minded a tongue journey. When he’d glided his hand sensually down her arm and pulled her by the hair deeper into his mouth, she had the urge to seduce him right then, not caring that nurses were watching their escapade. No. It had to be something in that damn bag to make her hallucinate and think that she could actually kiss Bryce Monroe and enjoy it. Enjoy him to the point of desiring more.

No. No. No. No. No.

Chapter 2

Once Sydney was settled onto the plush leather seat of Bryce’s Benz, she knew it was time to escape. Her goal had been to say goodbye to him in the elevator, but the hospital had other plans. She’d tried to protest to the nurse about taking her out in the wheelchair, but apparently it was protocol. Her devoted husband had skedaddled out to pull his car around to the patient pick-up area. When they arrived, he’d lifted her up gently from the chair and placed her in the front seat with a knowing gleam before turning around and thanking the nurse for taking good care of her.

Sydney turned to Bryce as he started the car and drove around the winding road toward the parking lot exit.

“Thank you for everything. I sincerely appreciate you coming and checking on me...for Megan.”

He glanced at her. “No problem. We’re family. So tell me how to get to your place.”

“Oh...no... You can just drop me off at the bus stop over on Church Street by the Infiniti dealership.” She grabbed her purse from the floor and rummaged through her wallet, searching for her MARTA card. “It’s on the left-hand side about one block from here.”

“You’re not taking the bus to get home.”

“It’s no problem. I take MARTA sometimes.” She found the card and slipped it into the inside pocket of her waist-length leather coat. A dizzy wave overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes for a second, resting her head on the headrest.

“Yes, but not when you’re being released from the hospital.”

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him, turning her head toward him. “Besides, it will be a madhouse for you to get in and out of the downtown Decatur area with all of the Valentine’s Day and normal rush hour traffic, and on a Friday at that.”

“I promised Megan to make sure you were fine.” His gaze rested on her as she peered at him through the slits of her eyes. “You can barely keep your eyes open as it is.”

She sat all the way up and opened her eyes wide, shooting him a glare. “I’m fine. I just need to go to sleep.”

“Exactly, and you want to take the bus. Ha! You’d fall asleep and wake up hours later with all of your valuables missing. I’m taking you home.” He pushed a button on his navigation system. “Type in your address and then lay the seat back and get some rest.”

Clearly, she wasn’t going to win this argument, and she wasn’t surprised. She’d seen him in action in the courtroom plenty of times. While she may have not always agreed with the outcome, Bryce had always led a very convincing argument.

She typed in her address and pushed the button on the side of the seat to recline it back. “Fine, but only so my sister won’t worry.” She slid her shades from the top of hair over her eyes and then closed them as she sighed.

Thirty minutes later, Sydney awoke to him shaking her lightly. She opened her eyes to see her Craftsman-style house in front of her and was relieved to be home. Now she could finally take a shower and scrub his scent off her despite the fact that she actually liked the woodsy fragrance.

“Thank you again. I’ll let Megan know I’m home.”

“You’re welcome.” He got out and trekked around the car to open her door.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

“No problem.” He opened the back door and grabbed a bouquet of a dozen red roses, handing them to her. “While you were snoring, I bought these from a man off of the exit ramp. They were his last bunch. Didn’t want the brother out there for too long. It’s getting cold out here. So happy Valentine’s Day,” he said with a smirk.

She inhaled the light fragrance of the petals and rested her eyes on him. “Thank you for the roses, but I don’t snore,” she said, shaking her head and raking her eyes over him in disdainment.

He choked out a laugh. “Um...like hell you don’t. You were calling hogs, cows and sheep. But in your defense, I know you’ve had a long, exhausting week.”

He stepped around to his trunk and pulled out a gym bag. Sydney tilted her head as he began to walk alongside her to the porch.

“You have any dogs?” he asked as she unlocked the red door that Megan had insisted on selecting when she’d remodeled the 1920s bungalow into an updated contemporary-designed home in an upcoming neighborhood outside of Atlanta. Megan and her associates at Chase and Whitmore Designs remodeled Sydney’s home last summer for a segment on Megan’s decorating show, The Best Decorated Homes.

“Um...no. No pets,” she said, setting her boot halfway inside the foyer while the rest of her body remained on the porch. “Thank you again.”

Raising an eyebrow, he swished his mouth to one side. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

She pushed the door and opened the alarm panel on the wall to stop the aggravating beeping. “Aren’t you leaving?”

“No. Dr. Smith said you need someone to watch over you for the next twelve hours, and I told him I would.”

“Wh...wait.” She glanced at her watch. It was six-thirty. Was he going to spend the night? “That won’t be necessary.”

“Even though your CT scans were fine, you just never know. You could faint again, bump your head and then Megan will kill me for leaving you alone.”

A devilish grin formed as she glared up at his six-foot-two frame. “Mmm...” She nodded with a smirk.

“Don’t get any ideas, woman.”

“Darn it. And to think I was going to fake a swoon.”

“Swoon? I take it you watch classic movies and read books like Little Women and Pride and Prejudice,” he said, raising a curious eyebrow.

“Yep, and tonight we’re watching Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant movies until I fall asleep.”

“Then I’ll be asleep before you,” he mumbled.

She faced him, hands on hips with pursed lips. “You’re more than welcome to leave.”

“Nope. We’ll watch your girlie chick flicks. Even though personally I thought you were more into movies like Bad Boys and Beverly Hills Cop.”

“I am, but sometimes I need to escape from my real life and watch something out of my norm like Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

“I’ve seen it once with my mom years ago. It’s her favorite movie and store. Dad buys her something from there all the time. In fact, so do I,” he told her matter-of-factly. “Usually for Mother’s Day.”

For a moment, she’d forgotten about his rich-boy lifestyle. For just a moment, he was a regular guy, not a millionaire standing on her hardwood floor in her 1,500-square-foot house, wearing an Armani suit and a Ralph Lauren trench coat. Not to mention a watch that probably cost three times more than her yearly salary.

He stared at her intently and stepped closer. She thought surely he was going to kiss her again, but instead, the fire in his eyes was erased, and a relaxed, lazy smile appeared on his face. “I kinda like Cary Grant. He had a certain cool swagger to him.”

Bryce tossed his bag on the floor and pulled his overcoat closer to his body. She hadn’t been home in almost two days, and she’d forgotten to leave on the heat. Sydney moved to the panel on the opposite wall and slid the thermostat into the on position, setting the heat to a comfortable temperature.

He followed her through the foyer to the living area, and she noticed her mail in a basket on the coffee table. Apparently, the cleaning lady had come that morning, as she always did on Fridays. She sat the roses next to the mail. She’d have to tend to both later. Right now she needed to be alone. Away from him.

“The guestroom is through there.” She pointed to a door adjacent to the living area. “It has a full bathroom, and the kitchen is the next room over. Look on the fridge and call the pizza joint around the corner. They will deliver. Put your car in the garage. It’s going to be below forty degrees, and I doubt your Benz has ever slept outside. I’m going to take a shower.”

Sydney trekked away from him, straight down the hallway on the other side of the living area that led to her office and the master bedroom. She closed the door to her room, flicked on the light switch, threw off her clothes and left them where they’d landed. Grabbing her cordless phone from her nightstand, she dialed her twin’s cell phone number.

Megan picked up on the first ring. “Are you home?” she asked with a hurried anxiousness.

“Yes, and thanks to you I have company.” Sydney yanked the shower curtain back and turned on the faucet.

“Bryce?” Megan asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, Bryce,” she whispered into the phone. “The man I can’t stand is staying here tonight because the doctor said I needed to be watched over for the next twelve hours just in case I have a minor concussion. Even though I don’t.” Sydney opened the linen closet and snatched a towel and washcloth from the stack. She glanced at her reflection in the vanity mirror to see a condescending expression on her face. Goodness. Is this how I’ve been looking at him?

“Oh...”

“Oh? That’s all you have to say? While I’m happy you didn’t call Mom and Dad, why couldn’t you call Tiffani?” Tiffani Chase-Lake was their first cousin even though she was more like an older sister.

“I thought about that, but KJ has swim class...or is it tae kwon do this evening? I don’t know. His schedule is busier than mine, and he’s only seven.” Megan laughed but stopped abruptly. “I’m sorry, sissy. Just try to suck it up. I really hate for you to be alone, and Bryce is a good guy once you get to know him.”

Sydney grabbed her brush and a few hairpins to wrap her hair, laying the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could use both hands. “He’s been pleasant and concerned, but more so for your peace of mind.”

She thought about their kiss. Their freakin’ passionate kiss that sent a shiver through her at the mere thought, but she wasn’t going to indulge that information. There was no need. It wouldn’t happen again, and she didn’t want Megan excited with romantic, whimsical thoughts of something more happening between them.

“That’s good. Bryce is very family-oriented.”

“I know. I’m going to take a shower and put on some sweats. Bryce is ordering a pizza—I’m starved.” Sydney wrapped her hair in a scarf and tucked in a few strays underneath. “I haven’t eaten since my coffee and bagel breakfast.”

“That’s your problem. You forget to eat, and when you do, its junk food from the vending machines at headquarters or some greasy fast-food place nearby. Do you at least have some veggies or salad fixings in the fridge?”

“Yes. I went to the DeKalb’s Farmer’s Market on Tuesday right before I went in to work. I’ll eat some raw carrots and broccoli, dipped in ranch salad dressing of course.”

Megan huffed. “Of course,” she said sarcastically. “I’ve heard your shower run long enough. Get in it and don’t keep your company waiting.”

“Yes, sissy. And don’t keep the senator waiting,” Sydney answered in a singsong tone.

The sisters laughed and said their goodbyes.

Sydney placed her plastic cap on and hopped into the shower. It was the ideal temperature, and she let the soothing water cascade down her tired body as she thought about her current situation. The man she loved to hate was in her house to take care of her for the evening. So far she’d done a very good job of keeping him at a safe distance, minus that kiss. She cringed. She had to get that kiss out of her head, but it was no use. Every time she looked at his luscious juicy lips surrounded by that neatly trimmed goatee, she was reminded of how his warmth had engulfed her, how he’d tasted her with tantalizing strokes like an artist’s paintbrush. The tiny prickles of his facial hair had rubbed against her skin in a soothing way. She’d never cared for a lot of hair on a man’s face, but it suited Bryce, making him even more handsome and charismatic. She’d seen him a few times with it shaven and was never impressed. The hair on his head was low-cut with soft curls even though sometimes he let it grow out into a short, curly fro.

I can’t believe this is happening, she thought as she dried off from her refreshing shower. This has to be a cruel joke. I’m spending Valentine’s Day with the man I despise.

* * *

Sydney emerged from her bedroom, relaxed in a pair of GBI gray sweats, to the smell of something quite delicious. It wasn’t pizza. Upon entering the living room, her eyes zeroed in on the roses now standing in the vase on the mantel above the lit fireplace. Frowning at the romantic scene, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had flowers in her home. They added a pleasant touch to the room that she barely used. Her nose guided her to the aromas floating from the kitchen. There were chopped red and yellow bell peppers on the cutting board next to the stove along with onions, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Bryce stood over a huge frying pan stirring and tossing the rest of the vegetables in.

“You’re cooking?” she asked.

He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes roaming over her attire down to her fuzzy pink socks. “Yep. I was going to order pizza but then I looked in the fridge and I saw all of these healthy ingredients. You had some shrimp in the freezer so I thawed them in water.”

She stood beside him and inhaled the mixture of the organic vegetables he sautéed. She leaned over the skillet. “Mmm...smells like heaven.”

“Thanks. Just need to add the shrimp and the brown rice will be done soon.”

“You need some help?”

“You can stir this for a minute or two while I cut the shrimp in half.”

“Sure.” She scooted in front of him and reached for the cooking fork. His hands grasped her waist, and her breath caught in her throat when he slid his body over hers as he moved over to the shrimp on another cutting board.

“These are some huge shrimp,” he said, cutting them in the middle and tossing into a bowl with teriyaki sauce.

Scared to utter a word, she nodded her head in agreement. She couldn’t believe she was actually nervous around him. She was a GBI agent who’d interrogated some of the worst kinds of criminals, from drug dealers and gangbangers to serial killers and child molesters. She carried a gun, did karate and could bench press almost half her weight, yet found herself a fumbling mess around him. This is a first, she thought.

When his task was complete, she took a huge step back so he could retake his place at the stove, and she wouldn’t have to endure his body on hers again.

Sydney opened the refrigerator and grabbed the bottle of white zinfandel that had chilled for five days in anticipation of Friday night. She needed a gulp of it, especially after Bryce’s rock-hard body had pressed against hers. Even though it had been a mere innocent second, heat had erupted through her veins at his touch. She didn’t know how much longer she could tolerate him being there without wanting what happened at the hospital to transpire again. She couldn’t believe her thought process, but she decided to chalk it up to not being intimate with a man in a long while. The kiss had rumbled pent-up desires. That was all. It didn’t mean she wanted Bryce. She could barely stand him, even though he was being quite the gentleman at the moment.

“You want a glass of wine?” she asked, heading toward the dining room to retrieve the corkscrew and the wineglasses from the refurbished china cabinet that once belonged to her grandmother.

“Sure. It’ll go great with the stir-fry.”

Even though this wasn’t how she’d planned to spend her Valentine’s evening, she decided to make the best of it and to avoid conversations that would lead to their usual arguments—no matter how sexy he looked when he was mad.

* * *

“Well?” Bryce asked as he watched Sydney taste the shrimp stir-fry. They were sitting by the fireplace—her on the floor in front of it with her legs tucked underneath and him on the couch facing her. The color in her face was finally returning, and she didn’t seem as weak when he’d first arrived at the hospital. But what was still present were her blaze-filled eyes even though they had simmered down.

“This is delicious. I’m rather surprised you know how to cook.” She took another bite and moaned, closing her eyes. It was the same moan she’d exhaled when he’d kissed her earlier.

Am I delicious, too?

He sipped his wine and tried not to focus on her tongue as it licked across her lips. But it was no use. She was adorable. Even with her hair wrapped in a scarf, no makeup and oversize sweats, she stirred something in the pit of his stomach.

“Despite what you think of me, I do have some domestic capabilities. No, I don’t cook often but I do know how.”

“I’m sorry, Bryce. You’ve been so wonderful to me today, and I keep finding ways to say something crass.”

He shrugged. “I’m used to your bantering with me.”

“Okay...I tell you what. Tonight, no arguments. We’ll avoid any conversations that have to do with our careers—especially cases where you may be representing someone that the GBI arrested.”

He laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. Today was my last day at Baxter, Clemmons and Strouse.”

She dropped her fork and her jaw to the plate. “They fired you?”

“No. I resigned. I’m in the process of starting my own firm. Something I’ve been thinking about for a while. When the senior partners told me I’d never make partner with them, I knew it was time for a change.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? I know we have our disagreements, but you’re the best attorney I know. Do they realize how valuable you were to them? Did they try to stop you?”

“Oh, yes. A hefty hourly raise, bonuses, use of the private jet and a company Mercedes, but not senior partnership. I already have use of my family’s private jet and I own a Maybach, so nothing they offered impressed me.”

“You know, I’m kinda surprised you even worked for them. Why didn’t you start your own law firm earlier? You’re a Monroe. I doubt you would’ve had a problem attaining clients.”

“I’d thought about it, but sometimes you have to work for someone else in order to obtain the experience you need before branching out on your own. I’ve learned a lot working there, but I was ready for an advance in my career. There comes a time when you have to move on. When you’ve outgrown where you are.”

Sydney simply nodded her head with a faraway look in her eyes. Bryce noted her wistful expression. He wanted to ask her what it was about, but he didn’t want to pry. Besides, they were actually getting along for once. No need to ruin it.

“So have you started looking at office buildings?”

He finished chewing his food before answering her. “Oh, yeah. I have some things in motion. However, I’m going to take a much-needed vacation and go to Vegas next week.”

“You like to gamble?”

“No. There’s a motorcycle fest going on, so I’m driving up on Wednesday. I go every year.”

“That’s sounds like fun. Riding one of your bikes?”

“Driving my SUV but hitching the trailer up for my favorite motorcycle or two. You should go.”

“Some of us have to work,” she teased with a wink and leaned her back against the bottom of the chair next to the fireplace.

“True, but you need a vacation. When was the last time you took one?”

“Um...” She swished her lips to the side. “I...um...”

“You’re taking too long to answer,” he teased.